They’re giving bad penalties to the Steelers since they’re going to win this game. Then they can give the Steelers the calls and non-calls in the close games and still point to the average penalty numbers and declare them fairly officiated.
And the refs completely job us out of a pick 6. Anyone who says the Steelers get all the calls need to watch this game. This is insane. That’s one of the worst roughing the passer calls I’ve ever seen.
Did you watch the Bengals game, where the refs essentially handed the Bengals a free touchdown to get within one score? This could be the same way. The Steelers have 120+ yards in penalties, of which half are completely bogus, and that doesn’t even count the fact that they took 7 points off the board with that last one.
15 yards for “picking someone off the pile”? Tony Correnti is a cunt.
And another horrid personal foul call against the Steelers, since he had the audacity to go after what appeared to be a loose ball. It seriously looks like they have money on this game.
So, how 'bout those roughing the passer calls against the Steelers, neither of which were actually roughing the passer. Oh, wait, the quarterbacks in the NFL are made out of glass, so simply by touching them it’s a penalty. My God, what was Woodley supposed to do? He put his hands up, he didn’t wrap him up and take him down, he didn’t lay the wood to him, he was a step away at full tilt (just like Harrison was) and did his level best to pull up!
I can’t wait to see what Harrison gets for that roughing call on him. I bet he gets a $100,000 fine and a game off. I bet it’s worse than Richard Seymour, who should get 2 or 3 games off but will probably only get 1 because it was just Ben he punched, and we all know he deserved it being the Steelers quarterback and awful human being that he is. Hell, I think the Steelers got penalized 15 yards for a personal foul in the Jets-Texans game. It was ridiculous!
But hey, the Steelers get all the calls, and the refs are in their hip pockets. Who could ever doubt that? 14 penalties for 163 yards, the highest totals in team history (!), but we all know the game was fixed. It always is, yep, you betcha.
I don’t have anything for or against the Steelers, and I think a lot of past cries of bad officiating have been nonsense.
That said, today’s game was a travesty. I have no idea what game the refs were watching, because the flags seemed to be thrown more or less at random, and penalties were made by shaking a Magic 8-ball.
I also like our corners. Ike is one of the better corners in the league (although he needs to get some skin cream to soften those hands) and Gay is more than acceptable as a nickel back. Bringing McFadden back has really helped. We will need to get another one soon for the future.
One of the bigger problems in pass coverage is that with our zone scheme (the O can’t tell who is coming and everyone is a possibility) the Steelers often end up with a linebacker in one-on-one coverage on a WR. That is the part of zone blitz’ basic scheme that needs to be addressed. It goes back at least as far as the first time Brady QB’d the Patriots against the Steelers in an AFC title game. If you look at the film, on the winning score Jason Gildon ended up in one-on-one coverage with their #1 WR. (To silence the nitpickers, I think Brady started the game, but Bledsoe threw that pass.)
I also agree that when teams decide to go pass crazy we have trouble. On some plays that calls for blitzes, but for others it calls for more Defensive Backs. We should have opened with our Nickel and maybe looked earlier at the Dime. You can still zone blitz the DB’s, too.
As for today’s game, I look forward to reading about the NFL officials report. By the end, I was hoping for more and more penalties as that might stop the NFL’s ridiculosity about tackling. Probably not.
Yeah… “ridiculosity.” I said it.
Well, looks like the Raiders’ brief renaissance is now over, and they are back to being craptacular again. 
They attempted to throw the ball 49 times-and got no more than 120 yards by doing so. Without checking that has to be the worst passing day by any team this year, in terms of yards/attempt (incl. sacks)…
What was up with the punter and the smelling salts? Did he not sleep well the night before? Is that legal? I mean, I know smelling salts aren’t illegal, but if they give you an immediate performance boost (which must have been his intention), that would seem to violate the spirit of substance use prohibitions as well.
Pittsburgh is moving the ball well today. It’s Buffalo, of course, but they’re still playing well. And finally I can watch a field goal without cringing. Suisham may not be the best kicker in football, but he can at least put one away that he should without much drama.
And an illegal contact call saved Hines Ward. Come on, Hines, hold on to the ball!
OK, so far James Harrison has had a sack, a forced fumble, and some good plays. How much will he be fined, and how long will he be suspended?
So, seriously, now that he’s been flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit, how long and how much?
TD Buffalo. All because of these new kinder, gentler nancy-boy protect everybody from themselves rules. Horseshit.
Our boys are putting the ugh in ugly. I need more beer.
Fucking Spindenhall. For the love of God, why must the damn Steelers always find a way to piss the game away?
…and Polamalu saves the day. Again. Maybe. It’s not quite over yet, but if Spindenhall can hold the ball on his next 3 runs I think they have it locked up.
Talk about a big if.
Bloody hell Pittsburgh. Come on D!!!
Pittsburgh barely keeps the ball out of range, and now they start on their own 4. Wonderful.